Sleigh



Patented Apr. I8, I899.

D. S. HALL.

SLEIGH.

(Application filed. June 8, 1896.)

(No Model.)

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llNrrnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEAN S. HALL, OF CABOT, VERMONT.

SLEIGH.--

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,244, dated April 18, 1899.

Application filed June 8, 1896. Serial No. 594,779. (No model.)

To all whom, it ntcty concern.-

Be it known that I, DEAN S. H ALL, of the town of Cabot, in the county of Washington, in the State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleighs and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear,and exact description of the same, reference being made to my former patent, under date of March 5, 1895, No.535,003, and also to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of one side or one-half of one sled, of which there are usually two in a set. Fig. 2 is a top view of sleigh. Fig. 3 shows beam and post attached. Fig. at is a side View of clasp P. Fig. 5 is the loop end of the post.

My invention relates to improvements in the running-gear of sleds and sleighs and the changeable or adjustable manner of attaching the shafts or pole to the running portion of a sleigh.

The objects of my invention and improvements are, first,.to use steel or other metal in its original shape'without expensive for,,- ing in its construction; second, to arrange the parts to obtain the greatest strength for the amount of material used, reducing the cost and weight of the sleigh; third, attaching the shafts or pole to the running portion of sleighs to provide a means where only one animal is used to enable it to travel in front of one runner ormidway between the runners, as the snow-path may require, and readily shifted from one position to the other.

In the drawings, A represents the runner, and G G the two sides of the runner; B, the post, and f the beam, which together form the knees of the sleigh; C, abrace; N, a kneebrace; it, rivets passing through the sides of post B and the knee-brace.

K represents a rave-brace extending from near end of beamf to the runner.

E represents the shoe; (Z d, nutsand bolts holding shoe to runner; N, a nose-iron and brace combined; P, a clasp; 7 a grip and yoke; S, a staple or link.

J and J 2 are cross-bars.

O O are arms connecting cross-bars; G G, ordinary shafts or pole-couplings; V, a bolt and nut holding said cross-bars together.

Runner A is made of fiat steel or other suitable metal,with two longitudinal parallel sides G G curved edgewise to form the rise at the forward end. The sides G G are removed from each other by a space corresponding in width with the thickness of the ends of brace O and post- B, which are inserted between the two sides of the runner and secured by rivets or studs, as shown in Fig. 1, said space also serving as a recess or aperture through which the bolts cl d pass, that secure the shoe to the runner.

Post B, of which there may be one or more to each runner, is formed of one piece of flat steel or other metal doubled together like a loop or clasp, forming an eye at the upper end of such size as will admit the end of beam, which is inserted therein, as shown in Fig. 3, and secured in position by grip and yoke 1 thus forming what is termed the knee of the sled, which by its peculiar construction allows of a partial movement where the end of beam passes through the loop end of post, permitting the runners to adjust themselves to the unevenness of the snow-paths, a feature very desirable insleds of heavy construction, the grip 3 being U-shaped and supplied with nuts at either end and passing around the two sides of post B directly below the end of beamfand also through the hooked end of brace K, the ends of grip being connected by yoke and all drawn tight by means of nuts.

The two sides of post B do not come in contact with each other under the beam f, but are left apart sufficiently to allow the loop end of post to draw tight upon the-end of beamfby means of grip and yoke or other similar device.

The ends of post B extend downward, and the two sides of post B below the beamfextend parallelto near the ends, where they are given a quarter-twist, one to the right and the other to the left, away from each other that they may stand bracing and in that way inserted in the space between the two sides of the runner G G and secured by two rivets, as shown in Fig. 1.

Brace O is a piece of steel or other metal with the ends attached to the runner, one in front and the other in the rear of post 13, in the same manner that the ends of the piece constituting the post are attached to the runner. The brace O is attached to post B immediately under the ends of beam by a staple, as shown in Fig. 1, or by a link and wedge or in any equivalent manner.

Shoe E is a bar of-stecl or other metal extending along under side of runner A, to

which it is attached by bolts and nuts, and

may be easily replaced when worn. It is curved fiatwise to fit curve of the runner at forward end and terminates at a point below the junction of 'runner A and rave K, as shown at X in Fig. 1, where it is met by noseiron N, which is bolted to runner at that point in the same manner as the shoe, with at least two bolts below the junction of the runner and rave K, except in case the runner extends above the point where met by rave K,in which case one bolt may be above and the other below the junction of runner and rave K. It will be seen that the nose-iron N is not acontinuation of runner A or the backing to which the shoe E is attached, but rather a continuation of the shoe E, and, as it is desirable to have the shoe E and nose-iron N in two sections, that the shoe E may be easily removed and replaced when worn, and to'have each independent of the other and still retain the necessary rigidity at this point I allow the run ner A and nose-iron N to lap by each other suificiently to permit of at least two bolts being used in connecting them. Nose-iron N then extends upward on a curve like the runner to a suitable height, where it turns back to and forms a junction with rave K, as shown at \V, Fig. 1, where they are rigidly unit-ed by means of bolts or rivets. It is then bent edgewise on an angle and is attached to beam f by means of clasp P, forming a brace from rave K to'beain f. I do not limit myself to this precise form, but rather to a combination of braces rigidly unitedat W in Fig. 1 and diverging laterally in rear and vertically in front of said union and to allow of a partial movement where brace N is attached to beam f, caused by the independent motion of the runner.

Clasp P, Fig. 4, is formed as follows: Preferably from similar stock or post B, and is in the shape of a part circle or adjustable band, with the two ends bent outward, forming lugs or ears which are provided with holes through.

which a bolt is inserted, by means of which it is capable of being drawn tight upon the beam f. The space between the cars is sufficiently large to receive the ends of the braces. Clasp P grasps beam f firmly before the lugs or cars come in contact with the end of brace between them, thus holding by friction upon the beam sufficiently to keep it in its proper place,thereby avoiding the necessity of puncturing beam f with the usual holes where bolts are employed to hold the braces, though it will be seen that although the several braces are retained in their proper position they are not held rigid, but allow of a slight rotation. Knee-brace N, also of fiat steel, bent to an angle edgewise, is placed fiatwise between the two parallel sides of post B and firmly bolted or riveted, as shown in Fig. 3, while its upper end is held between the ears of clasp P. Post B is provided near the upper end with notches in sides, as shown in Fig. 5, which are to receive the edge of brace C, which is held firmly in said notches by means of a staple or a link S,whereby brace O is made to serve as a truss, causing the load to be borne equally at three different points of the runner instead of at one point were it not for said notches and staple, for without such notches there is a tendency for post B to slide vertically past the brace O, and consequently bend the runner downward where the bearing comes.

Gross-bars J and J are each composed of two transverse parallel sides of steel or other metal or a combination of metal and wood and removed from each other by a space sufficient to receive the swinging arms 0 O, which are pivoted between them, as shown in Fig. 2. The action of said arms is such as to allow cross-bar J to which the shafts are attached, to be adjusted to either a side or center draft, a feature desirable in a sleigh when used with one animal. Said action is accomplished by removing nut from bolt V in crossbar. It can be drawn forward and, swinging to one side, can be readj nsted and secured by bolt V in the desired position.

I am well aware that prior to my invention there were various devices for accomplishing this result, but nearly all were so constructed as to necessitate using shafts or thills' made especially for that purpose, whereas by my device it is convenient to use ordinary carriage-shafts, such as are now on the market. Therefore I do not wish this construed too broadly, but simply to illustrate the precise features I hereinafter claim as my own in vention.

It does not require great skill to construct a sleigh after this description. An'ordinary blacksmith finds no difficulty in making them.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 7 1. In a sleigh or sled in combination with the post B and brace K the grip and yoke y said grip being U-shaped and engaged by the hooked end of brace K and passing by and around the post B directly below the beam f and above staple S and secured by yoke and post B below the end of beam f, and the brace C firmly fixed in said notches and held in po- -post B provided with notches Z in the side of sition by staple S or its equivalent passing around brace O and between the two sides of post 1-3 below the beam f and directly below the grip y substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.

4c. In a sleigh or sled with beam f of metal tubing the combination of nose-iron or brace N with clasp P with space between the lugs through which the bolt passes sufficiently large to allow the clasp to be drawn tight upon the beam f and holding by friction on said beam and yet allow brace N to partially rotate to conform to independent motion of the runners as hereinbefore described.

5. In a sled the combination of cross-bars J and J 2 each formed with slot as described, the swinging arms 0 O pivoted therein and bolt V passing through slot as hereinbefore described.

DEAN s. HALL.

W'itnesses:

I-IARRY'F. MoRsE, J OSIE B. MoRsE. 

